May the fortune be with you! Star Wars toy collection given to pensioner couple sells for £400,000
It had been an unexpected gift from a Star Wars fan who lived next door and was stored in bin bags in a damp garage.
But now a collection of hundreds of Star Wars toys has sold for a staggering £400,000 at auction.
The unnamed elderly couple given the plastic action figures and space craft toys by their late neighbour in his will had no idea of the value.
Out of this world: Cantina, left, sold for £2,700
A set of 15 Star Wars action figures, which had been opened, including a rare Death Star Droid
This set of 4 Empire Strikes Back Star Wars action figures sold for £2,600
It was only when their son invited an expert to their £200,000 terraced house in Stourbridge, West Midlands, that they discovered they were sitting on one of the best Star Wars collections on the planet.
Specialist Chris Aston, of Aston’s Auctioneers, said most of the action figures were still in their sealed boxes and in pristine condition.
Among them were two items among the rarest in the world – a Star Destroyer Commander, which sold for £25,000, and a Palitoy vinyl cape Jawa, which fetched £22,000.
The couple discovered they were sitting on one of the best Star Wars collections on the planet
A set of 6 Empire Strikes Back Star Wars action figures was sold for £8,200
These Kenner Droid Factory, Palitoy Droid Factory and Kenner Land Of The Jawas action playsets sold for £1,000
Mr Aston said: ‘The Star Destroyer Commander is one of only two that are known of and the Jawa figure is the holy grail for collectors.’
He said of the couple: ‘I would imagine they are thrilled with this result. It must feel like they’ve won the lottery.’
